Hanging On
by KuroTsubasaNoTenshi
Summary: Duo comes home from a mission with a serious problem. The injuries he has have erased his memories. Can heero and the others bring them back before Duo gives up? 1-2 action, hinted 3-4
1. Default Chapter

Hanging On

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. Leave me be.

Duo stumbled into the safehouse in early morning, blood leaking from a gash starting above his left eye and ending on his right cheek. Streaks of red ran down his face like some grotesque tattoo. The bags under his eyes were dark and long, making him appear almost ghost-like in the pre-dawn gloom. Closing the door as quietly as he could, he tripped his way into the next room, not having the energy to make it up the stairs into his room. He settled for collapsing in a bloody, disheveled heap on the floor by the couch, falling into merciful blackness almost before he hit the floor.

Duo's POV

I awoke to a huge amount of pain in my head. Opening my eyes, I glanced around for a moment before squeezing them shut against the onslaught of light. It was then I noticed the series of bandages that followed a facial wound and ended gently encasing a large bump that must have been bleeding profusely, judging by how wet the bandages felt.

And then I realized I was lying in my bed. Ignoring this seemingly odd circumstance, I rolled onto my side, wincing at the violent pain that shot along every nerve on that side of my body. Quickly, I rolled back over onto my back, keeping my head tilted off of the bump as best I could. Trying to recall what happened to me, I realized something.

I _couldn't_ remember what happened to me. This was my bed, I was sure of it. I knew it, somehow. And then I heard footsteps, and the door opened to reveal a gentle-looking blonde boy with clear blue eyes. "Oh, Duo, you're finally awake!" he said, coming over and sitting next to me on the bed. "You've been asleep for nearly two days now, we were starting to worry!"

"We?" I asked. "Who are you talking about? And who are you? What are you doing in my room, and why are you calling me Duo? Is that my name?"

The boy stared in wide-eyed, open-mouthed shock. Once he regained his senses, he seemed a little flustered. "Now, listen, Duo, none of your jokes now. You got seriously injured on your mission and need to rest."

"Listen, um, sir, I have no clue what you're talking about," I said, starting to get a little frustrated. "Now would you mind telling me who you are and what the hell is going on?"

It was then that three more boys, about the same age as the blonde-somewhere around 16-came into the room and circled the bed. I was starting to get more than a little peeved by now, since the blonde still hadn't answered my question yet.

"Who the hell are you people?" I growled, temper plainly in view, but not caring. I wanted an answer, dammit!

The tallest of the four with spiky brown hair that pointed over half of his face looked at me oddly with his one visible eye. "Duo…are you okay?" he asked quietly.

The blonde stood next to him, his crystal eyes wide. "I think he's lost his memory, Trowa."

The Japanese-looking one looked me up and down, staring at the bandages on my head. "He has suffered serious brain trauma." He was beautiful with dark brown hair and blue eyes.

"He's just weak," muttered the Chinese kid next to him. For some reason, he annoyed me. His ebony hair was pulled into a tight ponytail and his dark eyes seemed very strict.

"Wufei, you shouldn't say things like that!" the blonde said, scolding him. "You know that Duo couldn't have done anything about it!"

They were really starting to annoy me, talking over my head like that.

"Quatre, are you sure he's lost his memory?" the Japanese asked.

"Um, people…" I started.

"I'm almost positive, Heero! With a lump that size on the back of his head and all the damage to it…" the blonde trailed off.

"Then what do we do? Any ideas?" asked one-eye.

"Hello?!" I tried again.

The one called Heero shrugged. "We're supposed to dispose of anyone who's a liability."

I couldn't take much more of these people talking about me like I wasn't here! "Could you please just-"

Quatre gasped. "No, Heero! I won't let you kill him!" Kill me? What was I missing out on, here?!

"Well, someone's got to think of something," 'Wufei' said noncommittally. "While I admit it might be fun to leave him weak like he is now-"

"No," Heero cut in sternly. "He'd endanger our missions."

I decided to try one last time. "What mis-"

"Then someone's got to take care of him and teach him everything again," Quatre said decisively.

"And quickly," added Trowa.

This cinched it. "Would you mind too terribly if I asked you to stop talking over my head and tell me what the hell is going on?!"

All four of them stared at me dumbly. Then Quatre seemed to regain his senses and smiled, half apologetic, half pitying. "Sorry. Let's start out slow, then. Do you remember us, Duo?" he asked.

"Is that my name? Duo…" I whispered, trying it out to feel the flow of the word.

"Yes, it is. If you can't remember your name, though, I doubt you'll remember me," he sighed. "I am Quatre Raberba Winner. Pleased to meet you." He held out his hand with a smile that reminded me something of an angel's face.

I shook it carefully with my hand, wincing at the blood stained bandages wrapped around it.

Quatre looked expectantly at the others, and finally Trowa nodded slightly to me. "Trowa Barton," he said simply. They both stared at the other two.

The Japanese boy stared at me. It was then I realized just how beautiful he was. Deep, chocolate brown hair framed his pale face and Prussian blue eyes peered out from beneath his bangs with a curiously dangerous glint to them. "Heero Yuy." It took me a minute to notice that that was his name, and that I was staring. I looked away, a blush hinting at my cheeks. I could just barely feel the heat from it.

"Wufei Chang," the Chinese one muttered.

I merely blinked for a moment before smiling weakly. My face hurt too badly to do much more. "Nice to meet you all."

Quatre smiled back. He was going to be a good friend to me, I could tell. He was a kind boy, and had a distinct motherly quality. "Well, Duo, I'll let you sleep, since you look really exhausted. Come on, guys-"

"Could-Could one of you get me something to eat? I'm really hungry…" I asked hesitantly. After what Quatre said was almost two days of sleep without food, I was feeling ravenous.

For a minute, they just stared, and Quatre smiled, ushering them all out. "Of course, Duo. I'll send Heero up with some soup for you."

"Thanks."

I waited for what I guessed to be about ten minutes. The room I was in smelled like cleaning products. It was obvious they had sterilized the room before I was put in it. Probably so none of my wounds stood a chance of infection. It didn't matter, really; I didn't care. I just wanted my memory back. I felt helpless alone in that room. It was quiet, and nearing dark, because I could see the sun going down in the window across the room from my bed.

I tried rolling over again, but decided against moving more than necessary when pain shot through my body like a wave. I sighed as the door opened, allowing Heero to come in with a tray of steaming food and what looked to be a glass of water. He pulled a chair over and sat next to the bed, setting up the food on a TV tray he had brought up with him. I sniffed slightly, trying to smell what it was he'd brought for me to eat.

He must have known what I was doing, because he said, "Its just some chicken broth and water. I don't think you can take solid foods yet."

Damn, but his voice was just too sexy for words. It's deep, and persuading, and liquid-y, and I loved it. _Heero just shouldn't be allowed to exist_, I thought,_ it's unfair to the rest of the human race. He seems like the type that's too cold and quiet and calculating and sexy and-and-and…_

_And I'm rambling. In my own head, no less_. It was then that I realized that I had known Heero for approximately 15 minutes, and I already had a crush on him. Did I move that fast before I lost my memory?! I should hope not.

"Duo?"

I shook my head, and winced. That _hurt_. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah, Heero, except for the huge lump on the back of my head, the gigantamous cut across my face, what feels like a few broken ribs, little holes in my body that I'm guessing are bullet wounds, and unbelievable pain whenever I so much as twitch a finger, yeah, I'd say I'm okay," I said, maybe a little too sharply because Heero drew back slightly. I didn't mean for it to come out sounding like that, I was just annoyed and in pain and frustrated and lonely. I didn't like to feel any of those, let alone all of them at once.

"Look, I didn't mean to anger you, so don't snap at me," he said, his voice low and almost a growl. I immediately felt worse.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out quite so angry."

He made a sound halfway between a grunt and an acknowledgement, something that sounded like 'hn' as he sat down and looked at me. "Can you sit up?"

I tried, winced, and fell back as gently as I could manage. It still hurt like hell, though. "No," I said with a frustrated sigh.

Then Heero did something I didn't expect. He stood up, and bent over me, pulling me up into a sitting position without hurting me. "There. Try eating."

I moved my arm over to the tray just off to my right with a conscious effort, and gripped the spoon full of hot broth. My hands were shaking horribly, and by the time I got the spoon to my mouth, there was only a few drops left in it and more on my comforter. I sighed, and gently put the spoon back in the bowl. "So much for that…"

Heero just took the spoon and dipped it in the broth, moving it over to my mouth slowly, waiting for me to let him feed me. I kept my mouth closed tightly, not allowing him to do anything of the sort. It was childish of me, I know, but it was embarrassing to be fed by him. He put the spoon back in the bowel, and glared. "Duo…"

I simply turned my head away from him, still childish, and folded my arms despite the pain that coursed through my body.

"Duo, stop it," he growled, and I could tell he was mad. Or maybe frustrated. It didn't matter; I was _not_ going to let him feed me!

"Duo if you don't turn back and face me right now, I'll force you to."

I really didn't want that, because it sounded like he would do it with no concern for my health, and so I turned to face him, my lips still tightly pressed together.

Once again, he held the spoon to my lips, and waited. "Duo, don't make me force feed you. I will. And you won't like it."

I stuck out my tongue. "You sound like my mothe-"

Before I could finish, Heero had stuck the spoon into my mouth. I swallowed the broth quickly after he pulled the utensil back between my lips.

I glared at him. He glared back. Sighing, I let him feed me.

Once he was done, he took the tray, the bowl and now empty glass and left. I was alone again. Though maybe that was for the best. I didn't want anyone to see the tears that ran down my face from pain, injured pride, and a sense of feeling helplessly lonely in the world.

I fell asleep soon after.

Well? What do you think? Like it? I hope so. If you like it, review! Even if you didn't like it, review anyway, and tell me why you think it sucked horribly. And yes, I know that Heero is slightly AU. I've never written him with so much dialogue that wasn't broken by huge moments of silence. It's fun.

KuroTsubasaNoTenshi


	2. Frustration

Hanging On

Disclaimer: See chapter 01

02: Frustration

Heero's POV

Duo was being so difficult; it was all I could do not kill him. But he was a fellow pilot, and a good one, not to mention my partner. So I had to keep him alive.

His healing powers were amazing. Most of the bullet wounds were scabbed over and half-healed by the second day. The gash on his face was deep, and worried me because it would bleed constantly with little to no irritation. I wondered if it was infected, but the skin around it wasn't red or swollen, nor was it warm.

But Duo was. Despite his healing abilities, Duo was getting nightly fevers and needed someone constantly by his side to care for him. We all took shifts; I had the late night to early morning time slot most of the time. I didn't need as much sleep as the others. I never have.

The fourth night after Duo woke up, he surprised me. His fever was high, about 104 degrees, and the rag on his forehead had to be changed every five minutes. He was getting hot flashes where he'd tear off the covers in a rage one minute, and then shiver underneath them the next. He was delirious, and I began wondering if he'd ever heal completely. I could only hope so. Teaching him how to pilot a mobile suit was difficult if I couldn't put him in one.

All of the sudden, at 2:19 in the morning, he began screaming and crying in distress. Me, being in the room at the time, moved to the bed as quickly as possible, hoping to restrain Duo from reopening his wounds. He'd begun thrashing violently.

The others hurried in, all in their pajamas; Wufei and Trowa both carried guns. They watched in open-mouthed shock as Duo writhed on the bed, silent screams tearing themselves from his mouth. I held him from behind, holding his arms still, trying to be gentle. His thrashing stopped, and he sank into my arms, exhausted and breathing thickly. I moved out from under him slowly. The pilots stared at me as I straightened my shirt and checked the clock. 2:21. Pulling the first aid kit from its corner near the bed, I began to check Duo's bandages over, making sure he had not hurt himself too badly.

There was a hand on my shoulder, and I jumped, turning to find Quatre looking at me gently and worriedly. "Go to bed, Heero, you're tired. I'll take care of Duo for the rest of the night."

I returned to unwinding the bandages from Duo's arm, gently cleaning the wound. "I'm fine."

I could feel Quatre staring at me as Wufei and Trowa left, presumably to go back to bed. "No you're not. Heero, you're exhausted. You haven't been sleeping well, have you?" he asked.

"Is that any of your business?" I asked sharply, turning to face him. I glared for all I was worth, but he stared back calmly, his bright blue eyes shining even in the dark room.

"Yes," he said simply, "it is." Taking the bandages from me, Quatre tied off the one around Duo's arm, tucking it in neatly and snugly. "Now go to bed. Duo will be fine, Heero."

I gave the blonde a final glare as I retreated to the room I shared with Wufei. Shrugging out of my jeans and my tank top, I lay in bed in my boxers, unable to sleep. Sighing, I rolled over on to my side, facing the wall my bed was against. This was totally useless. It was after 2:30 in the morning. I couldn't sleep.

I sighed, and rolled out of bed. To hell with it, I was getting up in three and a half hours anyway. It's not like I haven't gone without sleep before. I threw on my robe, and walked silently into the kitchen, the tile cold against my bare feet. Opening the refrigerator, I pulled out at gallon of milk as well as some chocolate syrup I had hidden away in the back with the leftovers that no one ever touched. Chocolate milk is one of my very few favorite food items, and I only ever get to drink it on very rare occasions. So I treated myself this morning. Hell, I think I deserved it.

I made myself a glass of chocolate milk and sat down at the small round table, staring at it blankly as I pondered Duo's newest problem. So he was throwing fits. Either it was a nightmare, in which case, unless he has it again this will be the only night Duo does this. Or, on the other hand, this can be caused by his head injuries, which means that this may well be a recurring thing here. Oh yeah, this is turning out to be a great night.

I can't believe the crap I have to deal with. I sighed again and stood up, draining the last of my chocolate milk and putting the glass into the sink. I walked into the living room and turned on the TV, turning down the volume so that it wouldn't disturb anyone. Bored out of my mind, I flipped carelessly through the channels, stopping on this old movie that was being shown. Lord of the Somethingorothers. It was decent. There was quite a bit of action to it, and I felt my eyelids beginning to droop as I watched this thing all in black chasing four midgets through some forest at night.

The next thing I knew, I woke up on the couch in full daylight, a soft blue blanket covering me. I sat up immediately, and looked around for a clock. Finding one on the wall, I glared at it until it could've exploded from the intensity. That clock must have been wrong. I didn't sleep until 10:30 in the morning. It just didn't happen.

I stood up slowly, stretching as I yawned. Sure, I felt rested and must've slept like a rock, but I wasn't supposed to be up this late. Walking into the bathroom, I found a note taped to the mirror above the sink. It was Quatre's tiny, neat handwriting.

_Heero,_

Wufei and Trowa are out on missions; both assignments were received this morning while you were asleep. I'm out grocery shopping, since it's been decided we'll stay here another two weeks until Duo is full healed and we're running out of food. Duo's asleep, and should stay that way for a while. He was dead to the world when I looked in on him around quarter of nine. I should be back sometime around 12.

Quatre 

Not Heero's POV anymore

Heero shook his head, and let the note fall into the wastebasket in the corner by the shower. He quickly washed his face and headed back down the hall towards the kitchen, still in his boxers and robe.

At first his brain didn't register seeing Duo sitting at the counter on a stool when he walked in. He was used to it. But then he saw the bandages adorning Duo's body, and Heero stared a minute before muttering darkly. "Duo, what the hell are you doing out of bed?"

He didn't respond, only took a sip from the glass of water in front of him.

"Duo?"

It was then he looked up. "Oh, that's me, isn't I?" he asked, quite startled.

Heero nodded slowly. This retraining that he had to do…it was going to take a while. He sighed, making his way over to the refrigerator, grabbing the gallon of milk and the chocolate syrup. Chocolate milk was his comfort food, of sorts, and he felt that he needed the sugar to help him wake up a bit. Coffee was too bitter for his tastes. Despite what the others thought, Heero Yuy had quite the sweet tooth.

Duo watched Heero with a mix of listless indifference and bored interest. He sipped at his water, the only thing his tossing and heaving stomach could stand at the moment. The boy who stood at the counter drinking chocolate milk in boxers and a robe seemed so different than the one he had met just a few days ago. There was no cold gleam in his eyes that screamed verses of the battles he'd been through, no stiff postures or hard glares. He seemed kinder. More gentle. "He-Heero?"

Heero looked up at Duo's raspy voice. "Yeah?"

"Can you h-help me back upst-upstairs?" Duo asked slowly, standing up from his stool on shaking feet.

Heero wrapped his robe tightly around himself and moved over next to Duo, gently placing one arm around his back, the other putting Duo's arm over his shoulder. "Come on. You shouldn't be out of bed anyway. I don't know how you got down here if you can't get back up."

Duo smirked as Heero led him out of the kitchen and down the hall to the stairs leading to the bedrooms. "It took me a while, I c-can tell you." He coughed painfully, and Heero noticed him lick blood hastily off of his lips.

"You're putting too much strain on yourself, Duo, you need to be more careful," the Japanese boy replied as he carefully opened Duo's door. He led the heavily limping boy over to the bed and set him down, waiting until Duo had slipped back under the comforters before sitting down in a chair in the corner, picking up the book he had left there the night before. "Get some sleep."

Duo chuckles as he rolled over carefully. "You sound l-like my mother…" he coughed again before laying still and falling into a shallow slumber.

--

Hey, sorry it took so long to update, but I've been distracted. It won't take so long next time, I promise! Thanks for the reviews, everyone!


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